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Monday, September 20, 2010

Thoughts After Week 4...Plus Bobby Knight.

Sorry for being a day late on this one....I know it's how all of you wind down on your Sunday evening and prepare for another week leading up to Red Rider football. Thanks to all of you, ok just one of you, who reminded me and kept me on the ball.

Anyway....another week, another win...ho-hum right? Great start to the Ohio Cardinal Conference portion of the schedule, and just like last years win over Lexington, it's a big hurdle cleared on what is hopefully a 6-week run to the playoffs and maybe even an OCC title (something that Orrville has never won outright).

Let's talk about it all.

(Picture courtesy of Rod Dilyard. Great work as always, Rod. His full gallery can be viewed and purchased here.)

The Video Evidence
Here's a highlight reel courtesy of WMFD.com. They interview coach Doug (certainly not Dan) Davault and show highlights of Derek Graber's interception, Max Pirman's game winning TD and the play of our defense against Lexington's run game.

Good stuff. And while I'm here...that "celebration" penalty on Max after his catch was garbage. He wasn't taunting anyone or being a poor sport. Here's the picture...you can see the ref reaching for his flag. Is he taunting anyone? Is that excessive? That's a ref looking for a reason to throw a flag. We've been on the wrong end of some big penalties this year haven't we?

Another Heart-stopper
Sure we won, but it was another check of the ol' ticker. Another 6 weeks of this, plus playoffs where ALL games seem to be suspenseful, and the cardiology department at Dunlap will be very busy.

Could be (should be?) 4-0.
You could say we're a tough call at Copley from being 4-0, but you could just as easily say we're a few big plays from being 1-3. What if Stewart Turner doesn't return that punt at Northwest? What if Stewart or Max don't make those big plays at Lexington? Let's just be happy with 3-1 and move on, ok?

OCC
Ashland, Clear Fork and Madison were the other 3 winners in week 1 of conference play. Orrville and Ashland should be 2-0 after this week, Madison gets Wooster, and Clear Fork gets Lexington, so it will be tough for the Colts and the Rams to get to 2-0. It might be down to Ashland and Orrville as the only 2 OCC unbeatens after this Friday.

I was impressed with Wooster's performance against Ashland as well as Senior's showing against Clear Fork. Both lost, but I think this might be the most balance the OCC has ever had. The top 6 are all solid teams, only Madison and West Holmes are going to find the going tough.

Skulls

1. Derek Graber - Defensive linemen rarely get to enjoy a pick-6. Derek earned himself and the entire defense a skull with the defensive touchdown.

2. Max Pirman - Simply....a difference maker. His first action on offense the entire year in the second half. All he did was nab 4 passes for 80 yards including a 53 yard game winning score. All the more when you consider that the offense had a lot of difficulty moving the ball.

3. Stewart Turner - Another one of our difference makers. He can break the big play at any time. A big reason we're 3-1 and not 1-3.

4. The Entire Red Rider defense - They held Lexington's offense to less than 100 yds and scored a defensive touchdown on top of that. It's an athletic bunch that has shown it can play against any kind of offense. It's been dubbed the "Red Curtain" by some. Can coaches get skulls? If so, Coach Haley gets one too.

The "curse" of The Daily Record
Or I guess it's a reverse curse. Three times they've picked against us in their weekly staff picks...and three times we've won. The one time they pick us, we lose. I think the curse comes to an end this week (they'll pick us and we should win).

Region 14
My Region 14 page is updated. Who thinks we might be headed for a rematch with Genoa or Ottawa-Glandorf? I'd love a shot at either again...but especially Genoa.

Bob Knight
Great time at OHS gym last night. Coach Knight was Coach Knight. Speaking on many different subjects, but paying special tribute to active and retired military & teachers. You can hear in his words what shaped his character and made him successful. Those in attendance heard the name Warner Harper more than once, and Coach Knight's appreciation for his talents. He was a senior when Coach Knight was a sophomore and was a 3-sport standout. He's a member of the OHS Sports Hall of Fame as well as the Wayne County Sports Hall of Fame.